The Transition Era

Salt Lake's Final Giant

The Last Gasp of Steam

Narrow Gauge Steam Lives On

The Transition Era (1940–1970) marked one of the most difficult periods in railroad history. Thanks to the development of the automobile, railroads were seeing a slow but steady decline in passenger ridership over the previous decades. Executives believed their prospects were looking up at the beginning of World War II as passenger and freight numbers quickly shot up, thanks to soldiers shipping off to war and materials needing shipment, but this enthusiasm was short-lived. Eisenhower’s admiration for the Audubon from his time in Germany quickly sparked construction of the Interstate Highway System, just as commercial jets also began to take form. Railroads were no longer seen as the most efficient means of travel. In an era of increased wartime demand and a need for modern efficiency, early diesels were born.

The first diesel-electric engine arrived on the Rio Grande in 1938. It was an American Locomotive Company (Alco) class HH900, of which only 21 units for eight companies were ever built. It was believed that the rarefied altitudes and alpine terrain of the Rio Grande would be the ultimate test for these experimental engines. The engine was numbered as D&RGW #101, but it was not accepted by the Rio Grande, so it was identified as Alco Demonstrator #101 rather than under the D&RGW banner during its tenure. Soon, Alco sold it to the Rock Island on October 6, 1939, and renumbered it to CRI&P #730. The engine continued to serve on that railroad for many decades.

Despite the Rio Grande’s refusal to take the engine, the effectiveness of diesels was proved nonetheless. The Rio Grande placed orders for diesels almost immediately, but it took three years before they received their first diesel switcher and almost four years before they received their first freight diesel.

The Denver & Rio Grande Western only had a brief taste of diesel locomotion. Alco leased its experimental engine #101 for a short time. After the Rio Grande chose not to keep the engine it was transferred to the Rock Island in 1939. Still, their order of road diesels was heavily delayed. In anticipation of increased demand and eager to try the new technology, the Rio Grande dove head first and quickly ordered many switchers from multiple companies. Unfortunately, many railroads were overeager and they purchased ineffective machines resulting in the loss of many dollars. The D&RGW was quick but calculating in their purchases. Their plans were railroaded, however, in what is perhaps a foreshadowing of the government takeover of the railroads following Pearl Harbor.

The D&RGW ordered several switchers in 1941. Among these were a few GE 44Ts. Needing industrial power to service their supply depot in Bayonne, New Jersey, the government requisitioned what would have been the Rio Grande's GE44T#44 for the US Navy. In return, the RioGrande received its only NW2 switcher, built as US Army #7000. Ironically, the Rio Grande probably received the better end of the deal. This EMD 1000-horsepower engine was superior to the short-lasting, 380-horsepower GE 44T designed for industrial and light switching. The US Navy would have to wait until 1943 before it received its engine while the Rio Grande’s timetable had been moved up. #7000 became the first D&RGW diesel-electric to operate under the D&RGW road, delivered January 22, 1941. It was renumbered to #100 on September 13th to match the road’s numbering system. Both numbers operate on our layout. After serving its days out of Denver, the engine was sold to Precision Engineering in 1968, resold to various railroads afterwards, and it currently serves as EC&H #62.

General Motors’ Electro‑Motive Division (EMD) began production of its first F-units in 1939. With 1,350 horsepower, this first design was designated as the FT, with “F” referring to Fourteen-Hundred horsepower (rounded up) and the “T” for twin, as they came as a two-unit set with a cab engine and a booster. The Rio Grande received the first of its long-awaited freight diesels in 1942, but these were different from the standard FT. While standard FTs were equipped with a drawbar connecting the two units, the Rio Grande’s were fitted with couplers. EMD designated this version as FS, rather than FT.

The Rio Grande FSs were built as an A‑B‑B‑A set of four units with a cab “A” unit on the front, two booster “B” units in the middle, and another cab “A” on the end of the consist facing the opposite direction. The first of this set to arrive was #540, built in January. Upon arrival, all four units in a set shared the same number. To distinguish them, each engine in a set was identified by two‑inch letters at the side sills by their rear corners. Originally, each unit was labeled with an ordinal, such as 540 First through 540 Fourth. This changed to letters in 1946 with the arrival of F3s, numbering each unit as 540‑A through 540‑D. Finally, each unit was given its own number when the D&RGW’s renumbered most of its diesels between January and April 1950. The additional character was removed and its number was replaced with a four digit number, becoming 5401 through 5404.

Most railroads in coal producing regions were ambivalent about making the switch to diesels as they would be cutting into their own profits. The D&RGW was an exception to this rule. Although the Rio Grande had a direct route between Denver and Salt Lake via the Denver & Salt Lake Railroad’s Moffat Route, Union Pacific’s line was several hours shorter and far more efficient for transcontinental service. The D&RGW competed by employing short and frequent trains, called “fast freights.” Multiple‑unit diesels complemented this practice and it explains why the Rio Grande underwent such a rapid transition from steam, in significant contrast to similar railroads like the Norfolk & Western. The F‑unit was the final nail in the coffin of Rio Grande steam as steam engines were retired and scrapped as quickly as new diesels could be purchased.